Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026

Clifford Bough has been in practice 18 years and is licensed in New York. Clifford lists stress, Anxiety, addictions and family conflicts among 32 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Clifford's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.

18years in practice
32subjects listed
7approaches listed

01 · Who Clifford works with

Clifford works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and family conflicts

Clifford lists 11 specialisms and 21 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Clifford chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Addictions
  • Family conflicts
  • Self esteem
  • Coping with life changes
  • Grief
  • Anger management
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Depression
  • Coaching
  • Compassion fatigue
Also experienced with
  • Aging and geriatric issues
  • Antisocial personality
  • Blended family issues
  • Co-morbidity
  • Communication problems
  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Family problems
  • Fatherhood issues
  • Gender dysphoria
  • Hoarding
  • Infidelity
  • Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
  • Mood disorders
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Personality disorders
  • Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
  • Prejudice and discrimination
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
  • Smoking / vaping cessation
  • Social anxiety and phobia
  • Young adult issues

02 · In Clifford's own words

What Clifford says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am licensed in New York with 17 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, family conflicts, & bipolar disorder. I have worked effectively with teens age 13 to 19 as individuals and part of a family system. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

Clifford Bough, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Clifford works

The 7 approaches Clifford lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Clifford lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Clifford's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Clifford runs a session.

Attachment-Based Therapy
Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.
Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian
The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.
Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT
Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.
Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT
A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.
Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT
Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.
Motivational InterviewingMI
A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.
Internal Family SystemsIFS
Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Clifford practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Clifford's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

  1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

    BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Clifford at this point.

  2. Naming Clifford specifically

    BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Clifford is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Clifford.

  3. If the caseload is full

    You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

  4. The first conversation

    A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

  5. If the fit is wrong

    Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Clifford

Built from what Clifford actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Clifford's - Clifford has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

  • “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

    Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

  • “With 18 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

    Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

  • “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

    On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential
LCSW
Licensed in
New York
Licence
NY LCSW 077329
Licence number
077329
Licence expires
31 Jan 2027
NPI
1437334695
Years in practice
18
Gender
Male
Languages
English
International clients
Not accepted
Listed since
15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Clifford's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Clifford. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

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